The Spirit of Christmas
by MeisterYM
Summary: Spoiler Warning: The story takes place beyond one year after Volumes 8 and 9 when Shido seals Natsumi's powers. Notes: 1.) The story takes place one month after the fan fiction story: "November 11th". 2.) Characters may not behave as they typically would in the light novel or anime series. 3.) This story is also long, meaning there are more writing errors than usual. Apologies.
1. Prologue

The Spirit of Christmas

By: MeisterYM

**_Prologue_**

Waiting by the ticket booth at Tenguu Qwinted, Shido Itsuka could feel the weak chill that the cold air was giving him. Since he was dressed in winter clothing, only his face and hands were feeling the gentle breeze that was hitting them.

Despite how cold the weather was, Shido had just arrived at the ticket booth a few minutes ago, and so he felt that he could wait outside a little longer.

Today was another special day, however this time it wasn't one where Shido's life was on the line like it used to be.

The person Shido was waiting for would be enjoying a certain holiday with him for the first time. Thinking about the one on his mind made him even more content with waiting outside. He would try to spend as much time with her as possible today.

"Ah."

Hearing a girl's voice, Shido turned behind him to see what looked like a little girl with long blue hair. Her eyes were of the same color. She looked as if she were in elementary school and had a hand puppet resting on her left hand.

"…Yoshino?"

Hearing her name being called, Yoshino timidly walked towards Shido and gave a slight nod.

"G-Good evening, Shido-san."

Shido smiled at Yoshino's bashfulness.

"Good evening, Yoshino."

He looked at the puppet in Yoshino's hand.

"Good evening, Yoshinon."

The puppet raised his right hand and replied heartily.

"Good evening, Shido-kun~ Merry Christmas Eve~"

Shido gave a nod as if he were approving something.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas Eve."

Although Yoshinon was a hand puppet, the truth was that he had a mind and personality of his own when held by his partner, Yoshino. Conversations with either of them were never an act of ventriloquism.

Yoshinon's enthusiasm and lack of introversion made him the exact opposite of his comrade, but he was also considered her hero since he was the representation of what she wanted to be.

Whenever she was separated from Yoshinon, Yoshino would cry and cause trouble around her until she was reunited with him again, and Yoshinon literally couldn't live without Yoshino, making both of them a close team.

"Um…"

Yoshino tried to get Shido's attention.

"What brings you…out here?"

Shido gave another smile as if he just thought of something sweet.

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Ooh~ Could it be _her_?"

Yoshinon spoke as if he was reading Shido's mind.

"My, it's already been a few months~ They grow up so fast~"

Yoshinon pretended to wipe a tear from his eye as if he had just finished a sad soap opera.

Shido gave a soft chuckle.

"Are you two going to a love hotel?"

There was a grin forming across the hand puppet's face.

"Y-Yoshinon!"

Yoshino covered Yoshinon's mouth.

"W-Why would I!?"

Shido yelled that with what looked like an angry smile on his face, still recovering from his laugh.

Yoshinon moved his partner's hand aside with his own.

"Well, you _are_ a couple, and it _is_ Christmas Eve~"

Yoshino covered her friend's mouth with more force.

"That's not the only thing couples do!"

Shido raised his volume louder than he expected. Some of the other people walking by were now staring at him. If anyone saw this, they would think that he was taking his stress out on a little girl.

Yoshinon was holding Yoshino's hand away from his face with both of his hands now.

"Oh, so you're going to do more~"

Shido wanted to deny that too, but he was at a loss for words. His face was turning a little red.

"S-Sorry."

Yoshino apologized, her own face turning slightly pink.

"No, it's not your fault, Yoshino."

Shido decided to drop Yoshinon's topic.

"By the way, what brings you two out here?"

Hearing Shido's question, Yoshino began to panic and stammer.

"W-Well…I…that is…"

Shido certainly was waiting for a girl, but he thought that Yoshino had her own plans for the day. She wasn't the one he had expected to see.

"Ah, did you have plans with someone here too?"

Yoshino grew more flustered. Her ability to form sentences weakened even further.

"U…Um…"

"Something like that~"

Yoshinon jumped back into the conversation to cover for Yoshino.

"In fact, we're supposed to be meeting with them right now."

"Ah."

Yoshino gasped when she realized that Yoshinon was right.

"Sorry, Shido-kun, but we'll be taking our leave now~"

"Oh, okay. I'll see you later."

Yoshino began to run off with Yoshinon the moment Shido began talking. The hand puppet was still facing him, waving.

Shido returned the gesture with a wave of his own.

Seeing Yoshino and Yoshinon running off to enjoy Christmas Eve made Shido's heart begin to warm up. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and nostalgia. It had been over a year since his life had changed thanks to people like them.

* * *

Last year on April 10th, Tenguu City was struck with what was known as a spacequake, and the ones who appeared after many of those anomalies were entities similar to the little girl Shido had just spoken to.

Beings like Yoshino were given the title of spirit, and they were constantly rejected from the world that humans were living in. They also had the potential to ruin several cities, so in order to prevent greater destruction from the aftermath of the spacequakes, Shido was assigned the task of confronting each spirit and sealing their ability to use their power.

However, as if through some cruel misfortune, Shido had become the only person capable of doing something as demanding as sealing the power of spirits. It didn't help that the method to seal those powers was through making them fall in love with him and then having him receive or deliver a kiss.

Not appreciating the alternative of killing spirits and wanting to save them from their painful lifestyles, Shido still took each mission seriously, and over time he managed to seal and save a significant number of them.

Out of the handful of spirits, there was one in particular who Shido had a difficult time saving. She was considered the most dangerous spirit, and the violent moments that he shared with her were more than enough to convince him of that fact. She was fearsome enough that she could kill people in a heartbeat, and Shido had witnessed that with his very own eyes. But despite the darkness that shrouded her, there was a warmth that not many could see.

Shido was one of the few people who could see the worst spirit as someone other than a killer. That part of her brought out feelings that he never noticed, and it wasn't until a few months ago that he realized what that feeling actually was.

After sorting out his feelings, Shido felt as if a fire had been lit, and he also felt as if that fire would last for his entire life.

With those undying feelings, Shido decided that he would put those feelings into words and actions, and had set out to save the worst spirit. Astonishingly, he succeeded.

Fortunately, the worst spirit had reciprocated feelings of her own, and the relationship between her and Shido was able to last until this point in time.

* * *

As he was deeply reminiscing in his thoughts, Shido's vision suddenly turned from a well-lit scenery into darkness. Something cold was covering his eyelids, most likely it was a pair of hands.

"Guess who~"

An angelic voice could be heard behind Shido.

"Took you long enough."

The voice giggled.

"I've never heard of that person before."

"That's too bad."

Shido's vision was still being covered, but he felt a grin forming across his face.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. Maybe you can help me."

"Oh, and who exactly are you looking for?"

"A girl."

"What kind of girl?"

"She's probably like you."

"And what kind of girl would I be?"

"That's a good question."

The voice giggled even louder.

"Do you like people like me?"

"No. Just you."

There was a pause.

"You've gotten good at this."

"We've never done this before."

Shido felt the pair of hands covering his eyelids coming off. He opened them and turned around to face the person who was teasing him. Who he saw was someone he would never grow tired of seeing.

A girl with long black hair tied into two portions stood in front of him. She was almost Shido's height and had heterochromia. Her right eye took on a color of red that was similar to a gemstone, whereas her left eye took on a color of a golden yellow.

The yellow eye had the sketch of a clock, but it was covered by the bangs formed by the front of the girl's hair. She wore a black dress that blended in with the night sky but looked smooth when illuminated by the lights in Tenguu Qwinted. Shido's heart felt warm the moment he saw her.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Shido-san."

"Yeah. Merry Christmas Eve, Kurumi."

Kurumi Tokisaki. Codename: Nightmare. The worst spirit, but to Shido, she was his spirit of Christmas.

"Did you wait long?"

Shido shook his head. It was true that he had spent a few minutes in the cold talking to Yoshino, but that didn't feel like it mattered much anymore.

"No. More importantly, are you up for tonight?"

Kurumi gave a warm smile.

"Of course. I've been thinking about it all day."

"Shall we go then?"

"Yes, let's."

Instead of walking off, Shido waited for Kurumi. A few seconds later, she had done just as he expected. The girl in front of him had done her now usual routine of walking over to his right arm and clinging onto it with both of hers. This was now a force of habit for Kurumi on all of her dates with Shido. Smiling, the two of them begin their walk around Tenguu City.

**_To Be Continued_**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

"Hey, Kurumi."

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

Today Shido and Kurumi had indeed decided to go on another date. Since it was Christmas Eve, both of them felt that simply doing whatever they pleased would be the best way to enjoy their date, however they had been walking around town for nearly half an hour.

While it was cold outside, it wasn't cold enough to the point where the both of them needed to go inside a building to stay warm.

"That's a good question."

"Are you really okay with just walking around?"

The hugging sensation around Shido's arm grew more firm.

"So long as it's with you, I'd enjoy doing anything, Shido-san."

Shido rubbed the back of his head, his heart feeling as if it had just skipped a beat.

"Well, if you're really okay with it."

"Yes, I am."

Shido was starting to wish that he had planned something for the date, but Kurumi insisted that they should try to enjoy whatever came their way naturally.

The couple continued to walk for several more minutes. Eventually, they noticed that they were approaching a café. A girl was standing in front of the building.

As he and Kurumi were walking closer, Shido began to recognize the girl, and he noticed that she was passing out fliers.

"...Natsumi?"

Hearing her name being called, a tall girl with long, jade hair and eyes looked at Shido and began to wave at him and Kurumi while calling out to them.

"Shido-kun~ Kurumi-chan~"

Natsumi ran towards the two familiar faces that she knew.

"I'm surprised to see you at a café."

Shido couldn't think of a reason as to how Natsumi could have anything to do with a café.

"I could say the same thing about you two."

"Good evening, Natsumi-san."

Kurumi spoke to Natsumi as if she had known her for a long time.

"Ah, good evening."

Natsumi gave a nod of acknowledgement towards Kurumi.

"Hey, Natsumi. Why are you…?"

Shido had noticed that Natsumi was in the form of an adult woman. Since that wasn't how she actually looked, he couldn't help but worry.

* * *

Natsumi was one of the spirits that Shido had saved last year on October. She was also considered to be one of the gentler spirits according to Shido, but if anyone knew about her secret, that gentleness was able to transform into hostility.

Shido had discovered Natsumi's secret when he tried to save her, and so he had to go through many ordeals to seal her powers.

Despite having her powers sealed, however, Natsumi was also considered to be one of the most mentally unstable, which meant that her stress had the potential to return all of her abilities as a spirit to her, presenting more risk.

Natsumi actually has an inferiority complex, revealing that she experiences stress often. She could take almost any word personally and convince herself that she was unattractive, which was what she believed often. In order to cope with the stress of comparing herself to other people, she used her convenient power of shapeshifting to give herself an attractive figure. Ideally, the figure was the adult woman who Shido and Kurumi were talking to now.

* * *

"Oh, this was actually something that Kotori-chan suggested."

"Kotori?"

* * *

Kotori Itsuka was Shido's little sister. They weren't related by blood, but Shido was adopted into her family, and they had known each other since they were little.

Kotori was a spirit like Natsumi, and she was also saved through the same method Shido used on the person he was talking to now.

Kotori was also the leader of the organization that gave Shido support during his missions to save the other spirits, and she had two types of personalities. How she was involved with Natsumi's current circumstances, Shido couldn't tell.

* * *

"Yeah, the truth is, Kotori-chan said that working here might help me with my confidence issue, but the moment I spoke to the first woman passing by, I couldn't help but turn into this."

Natsumi gestured to her current form. She had a Santa hat on top of her head and wore knee high socks that were striped with a red and white pattern. She also wore a red frock that had a Santa Claus design to match.

"Um…isn't that a little…?"

Shido wasn't sure if he should finish asking his question and stopped talking mid-sentence.

"My, you look wonderful, Natsumi-san."

Kurumi on the other hand couldn't help but admire the outfit. Her praise rang in Natsumi's ears.

"Really?"

Natsumi looked at Kurumi eagerly, holding both of her hands. Kurumi nodded.

"Of course. I can see why there are so many people inside the cafe now."

Natsumi gave a cheerful smile.

"Well, when you say it like that..."

Natsumi turned to Shido and looked at him confidently.

"Well, Shido-kun? What do you think? Even your girlfriend seems to like how I look."

Shido gave a slight nod.

"Yeah, it looks good on you."

Natsumi's smile grew wider.

"Then how about you be my boyfriend?"

"Sorry, not happening."

There was a brief pause.

"…you answered that pretty quickly."

"You know how it is."

"Wah, Kurumi-chan! Shido-kun doesn't think I'm attractive enough!"

Natsumi threw herself onto Kurumi and began to cry, though it all looked as if it were an overdone act. Unfortunately, Kurumi decided to play along and began to stroke the crying girl's head.

"There, there."

Kurumi turned to Shido and gave him a sad look.

"Shido-san, you're so cruel."

"W-Wait a second! I just said that the dress looked good on her!"

"Yes, but you didn't tell her that she was attractive."

Natsumi continued to fake her crying. Despite the exaggerated performance, Shido felt people beginning to stare daggers at him.

"Ah, fine, you're attractive. Really attractive!"

Natsumi's crying began to slowly fade. She gave a sniffle before she completely stopped.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Shido was slightly annoyed.

"Thanks, Shido-kun, I think you're attractive too."

"Thanks…"

"But I think Shiori-chan was cuter."

Shido twitched at the mention of that person's name.

"I thought she was rather cute also."

Kurumi clapped her hands together as she agreed.

"Hey, then what are we in this relationship for?"

Shido spoke, feeling slightly depressed.

"I didn't say that she was cuter."

Kurumi looked at Shido passionately, causing him to once again become speechless for a moment. Eventually he looked away, his cheeks flushed.

Natsumi watched the couple excitedly.

"Now, now, Shido-kun, no need to be so shy."

Natsumi walked to Shido and began patting his back. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

"I know, how about you help me out?"

"Huh?"

Shido looked at Natsumi a little wide-eyed. The smile she gave was a little wider.

"It'll help you with your shyness."

"How does that help anyone with shyness?"

Shido didn't deny his underlying problem.

"It's all about being confident in front of people."

"Isn't that your problem?"

"Yeah, but if I'm doing this with friends it'll be much easier."

"That sounds like fun."

Kurumi was growing excited over the idea.

"Is it alright if I joined you too, Natsumi-san?"

Natsumi's smile grew even wider, yet it was still able to look warm.

"Of course."

Natsumi grabbed Shido and Kurumi's wrists and walked them inside the café.

* * *

Shido never thought that he would see the day when Kurumi would be passing out fliers. No, that wasn't the problem.

The real problem was that Shido never thought that he would see Kurumi passing out fliers in a Santa Claus outfit. It was the same as Natsumi's, and yet it made Shido think that Kurumi would look amazing in anything she wore.

Kurumi noticed Shido watching and winked. He looked away and handed his own fliers, attempting to hide his embarrassment. Kurumi hoped that he didn't notice her own cheeks turning slightly red.

After Shido and Kurumi handed out a few more fliers, Natsumi went inside the café to grab more of her own and came back out.

"Shido."

"What's wrong, Natsumi?"

Shido was passing out another flier and wasn't looking at Natsumi.

"Here."

Shido could see a cup of hot chocolate being handed to him from the corner of his vision.

"Oh, thanks."

Shido attempted to grab the hot chocolate out of Natsumi's hands after giving away the flier, but he noticed that he had to reach lower than he expected. He turned to see a little girl with hair and eyes the same color as Natsumi's when she took on the form of an adult woman. She wore the same Santa Claus themed outfit that Kurumi was wearing, only it was smaller.

It was as if Natsumi had expected this outcome.

"You're back."

"Yeah…"

"As expected."

"What was?"

"Your costume looks good on you like that too."

"…"

* * *

The little girl Shido was looking at was Natsumi's true form, and although she thought that it was an ugly form herself, Shido would never say otherwise. He thought her true form was just as attractive in its own way.

Apparently Natsumi was beginning to agree if she was able to be out in the open in her current form.

* * *

"…thanks for helping me out."

Natsumi's face had grown red from Shido's compliment. Seeing her acting nervously reminded him of Yoshino, making him smile. He looked at Kurumi and noticed that she was also smiling.

"Anytime."

Shido began to pat Natsumi's head. She smiled wamrly at the gesture. The moment he stopped patting her head, she sighed.

"Well, my part is done."

"Eh?"

Shido couldn't quite understand what the little girl in front of him had meant.

"If I can be out here in this form, then that means I'm closer to solving my problem. So I think that's enough for today."

"Are you going home now?"

Natsumi nodded.

"Yeah."

"Can you just leave like that?"

"I was only helping out for today. I don't really work here."

"That's nice of you."

Natsumi remained quiet.

Until…

"Hey, Shido…"

"Hm?"

"You love Kurumi-san, right?"

There was a moment of silence.

It seemed Natsumi used different honorifics when she was in the form of a little girl.

Shido hesitated in answering Natsumi's question, worrying over how she would react.

"…yeah."

Natsumi nodded, as if she was expecting that answer.

"And Kurumi-san loves Shido."

Natsumi turned to Kurumi.

"Right?"

Kurumi nodded.

"Of course."

Natsumi gave a light nod.

"Yeah…that's how it should be…"

Shido could see that Natsumi was trying to convince herself of something. The mood was starting to feel a little depressing.

"Hey, Natsumi."

Natsumi turned to look at Shido.

"It's true that Kurumi and I are a couple…"

Shido paused to see if Natsumi was paying attention. She nodded, telling him to go on.

"…but Kurumi and I love you too."

Another moment of silence.

Natsumi stared at Shido and Kurumi, who were now standing side by side, with slightly widened eyes. Her expression eventually softened, giving a sad smile.

"Ah, I can't tell if I just got rejected or not."

Suddenly, Natsumi's cheeks felt ticklish. She touched both of them with her hands and noticed that they were wet. Tears had begun to roll across her face. She rubbed them away and tried her best to smile, but her best didn't last very long. In the end she stood there softly crying. She knew which answer it was.

"Shido-san, you just made a little girl cry."

"Hey, come on, I was trying to cheer her up."

Shido turned to look at Natsumi.

"Sorry, Natsumi."

Natsumi shook her head while still wiping her tears away.

"No, it's alright. Like I said, this is how it should be."

From Shido's point of view, the situation that he and Kurumi were currently in could be considered a dangerous one.

If Natsumi's mental stability dropped, her sealed powers would return to her, but for some reason, Shido wasn't worried.

It was possible that Natsumi's mental state was in danger, but Shido had a feeling that she would be okay. In fact, he believed that this moment would be the start of her long journey in becoming stronger by herself.

Shido and Kurumi took turns patting Natsumi's head, comforting her until she sorted her feelings out.

* * *

Kurumi and Natsumi had changed back into their original clothes. Surprisingly, the girls were allowed to keep their outfits since they were only helping out for today, but they both declined, not knowing what they'd do with those outfits after Christmas was over. They stand in front of the café with Shido.

"Are you sure you don't want us to walk you home?"

Shido and Kurumi were planning on leaving with Natsumi, but it seemed that Natsumi herself was planning on going in a different direction.

"No, I've got somewhere else I need to be."

Natsumi gave a rare smile that Shido had never seen before.

"Be careful, okay?"

"I know I'm a little girl, but I can take care of myself."

Natsumi spoke proudly. It was as if she was already outgrowing her old self.

Shido couldn't help but grin happily.

"Looks like you've got plenty of confidence already."

"No thanks to you."

"Hey, aren't you this way now because we helped?"

Natsumi giggled. She turned away from Shido and Kurumi and stood in place for a few seconds.

Finally…

"See you later."

With those words, Natsumi ran off.

Shido continued to stare at Natsumi until she turned around a corner. He could see her rare smile, even from where he was standing. It made him happy. It was a new smile that she could have only learned how to make if Shido had rejected her. But even so, there was a bit of guilt that he felt in his heart.

Shido began to feel a soft sensation on his right hand. Kurumi had tangled her fingers into his.

"Sorry, Kurumi."

Kurumi shook her head.

"No, I'm partly to blame."

Shido and Kurumi remained holding hands.

"Shido-san."

"Hm?"

"It's not too late."

"What do you mean?"

Shido turned his head to look at Kurumi. She was giving a sad expression that reflected the guilt that he was feeling. The sympathy helped him understand what Kurumi was trying to say.

"That's not going to happen."

Shido held Kurumi's hand more firmly.

"I knew what I was getting myself into, and in the end I chose to go with this anyway."

Kurumi remained silent.

"Besides, how can I leave you when you say something like that?"

It was Kurumi's turn to start holding Shido's hand more firmly, her face now showing a grateful smile. He couldn't help but make a smile of his own at her reaction.

"Kurumi."

"Yes?"

"I don't regret this at all."

Kurumi nodded, still smiling.

"Thank you, Shido-san."

Shido returned Kurumi's gratitude with a nod of his own. That was the first time Kurumi had ever verbally thanked him for something.

"Yeah."

Smiling, Shido looked ahead at the path in front of him. He noticed small white specks falling onto the ground, causing him to look up into the clouded sky.

A moderate amount of snow was beginning to fall and cover Tenguu City.

"Snow? But aren't we covered by the Fraxinus?"

Shido looked back at Kurumi and saw that she was staring at the sky with an awed expression.

The snow looked as if it was making Kurumi even more attractive. Shido stared at her in stunned silence. Eventually he managed to come back to his senses by shaking his head.

"W-Well, should we continue walking around the city?"

Shido's question brought Kurumi back to her own senses. She turned her head to look at Shido and gave another gentle smile.

"Yes, let's."

Holding hands, Shido and Kurumi resumed their walk around Tenguu City.

_**To Be Continued**_


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

At some point, Shido and Kurumi had stopped holding hands, and Kurumi had once again embraced one of Shido's arms.

As the lovers walked, they passed a building with glass doors.

Shido and Kurumi slowed their pace to casually look inside, and stopped walking altogether when they saw two people talking directly behind the door.

One girl had long, dark plum hair with indigo colored eyes. She gave the impression that she had an outgoing and blissful personality.

Meanwhile the one talking to the plum-haired girl had long, light indigo colored hair and eyes. She gave a similar impression as her partner, except there was also an air of confidence about her that said that she was famous.

The two girls who were talking noticed the pair staring at them, and their faces lit. Both of them waved and went out to greet their spectators.

"Shido! Kurumi!"

"Tohka."

"Good evening, Tohka-san."

* * *

Tohka Yatogami was a girl who Shido had known for over a year now. She was the first spirit he had ever encountered as well as saved, and their relationship had grown deep. Talking to her after his moments with Kurumi was one of the greatest challenges for Shido.

* * *

"Darling~ Kurumi-san~"

The indigo-haired girl followed Tohka immediately after she ran off.

"Hey, Miku."

"Good evening to you too, Miku-san."

* * *

Miku Izayoi was a popular idol in Tenguu City, hence the important aura that she gave. There wasn't any singer Shido knew of who could outperform her, and yet he had managed to win against her in a bet back at Tenguu Square during the time he was on a mission to save her.

Miku could also be seen as one of the other more dangerous spirits. Back when she had all of her powers, she used her voice to manipulate her audience, causing her to act spoiled. She had hated men, but slightly changed her perspective of Shido after he had saved her from an attack sent by Tohka. Now her fame came from her own voice, and it made Shido appreciate her for who she truly was.

However there was one concern that Shido had with what he was seeing.

* * *

"Huh? Since when did you two become close enough to hang out with each other?"

* * *

Miku hated men, with Shido being the exception, but she was also attracted to females. Tohka tended to keep her distance when she had to be around Miku, and Shido had never seen the two of them going out together once. That was, until now.

* * *

"Hehe, no man or woman can escape my charms."

Miku boasted proudly with her hands on her hips.

"No, that's not what happened at all."

Tohka looked at Miku, annoyed.

"Anyway, come join us."

Tohka looked at Shido and Kurumi with a twinkle in her eyes. She had avoided Shido's previous question.

"Join you for what?"

"Karaoke, karaoke."

Miku pretended to hold a microphone to her mouth.

"Karaoke, huh."

Shido turned to Kurumi.

"Want to give it a try?"

Kurumi replied with an amused smile.

"Yes, that sounds like fun."

"Then, let's go!"

Tohka grabbed Shido's wrist and began to pull him inside. Miku was doing the same with Kurumi.

Together, the four of them entered through the glass doors that were behind Tohka and Miku and walked inside.

* * *

"They say that you can order food here."

Tohka was looking at a menu, a twinkle still visible in her eyes.

The room that Shido and the others had entered was one where they had it all to themselves.

Sofas were found in the sides and back of the room, and a coffee table sat in the middle with a directory that contained a list of songs.

A pair of microphones also sat on top of the coffee table, and a television was set up front.

"Hey, Kurumi, what are you getting?"

Tohka showed the food menu to Kurumi.

"Doesn't all that food cost money?"

Shido raised a half bent finger up as if trying to get Tohka's attention. He couldn't help but think that Tohka might raise the food bill a little too high, but at the same time he also thought that she was beyond saving.

"Now, now, I'm an idol, so I've got it covered."

Miku reassured Shido.

"Let's see…"

Kurumi leaned closer to Tohka to see the menu better.

"Oh, they have Pocky."

"What's so special about that?"

Tohka tilted her head in wonder. Shido immediately became flustered.

"No Pocky game!"

Kurumi laughed at Shido's reaction.

Tohka ended up being the only person who ordered any food. By the time she had ordered, everyone had started to decide on their turns for singing.

"I'm afraid I'm not very confident in my singing."

Kurumi spoke modestly.

"Nonsense! You were wonderful a few months ago."

* * *

Several months after Shido had saved Kurumi, she and Miku had a hard time getting along with each other in the beginning.

During that time, the Tenou Festival was coming up again, and as luck would have it, Shido had to participate in it again. It was then that Miku had challenged Kurumi, and the prize was none other than Shido. Since that was Kurumi's first time in such a large event, she was the one who had lost the challenge, however, after some events that transpired afterwards, Miku had learned to accept Kurumi.

* * *

"Tell you what, I'll go first then."

"Sounds good. Then I guess I'll go second."

Shido had offered to sing after Miku.

"Then I'll go third."

Tohka raised her hand as she volunteered to be the third singer, making Kurumi last.

"Alright then. How about we make this a little more interesting?"

"…interesting how?"

The last time Shido made a personal bet with Miku, he had to put his way of life on the line and almost lost it, thus he was skeptical whenever she wanted to make any type of singing interesting now.

"Don't worry so much, Darling~"

Miku smiled at Shido innocently.

"The person who scores the second highest can have a duet with me."

"Second highest?"

Miku giggled at Shido's confusion.

"I'll score first, of course."

"Oh, so the top two get a chance to sing together."

Tohka seemed to be fond of the idea.

"I don't have any problem with that."

Kurumi showed no concern about the suggestion.

"Alright, it's settled."

Miku had already selected a song from the directory and was now beginning to dim the lights in the room.

"Here we go~"

Miku stood in front of the television, raised the microphone to her mouth, and began to sing. The moment her voice came out, it was as if she knew how to follow every rhythm. Her song was an upbeat one, and not only did she sing in tune with the it, but she also danced to it. At times she would twirl and even make her movements flow with every beat. It was one of the best forms of singing anyone else in the room had ever seen.

A few minutes later Miku's song ended, and she wiped her forehead despite it not having any sweat.

"How was that?"

Miku looked at Shido eagerly. He replied with a satisfied nod.

"Yeah, it was great. Just like always."

"Great work, Miku."

"My, I just might become another fan."

Miku beamed happily. After being saved by Shido, she had promised to sing only for him, but the opinion she just received was returned threefold, and it made her feel warm inside.

"Well, I guess I'm up."

Shido got up from his seat. Miku passed the microphone over to him and sat down.

The lights remained dimmed, and Shido began to sing.

The song wasn't as upbeat as Miku's but it wasn't slow either. In truth, it was just normal.

There were a few mistakes that were made, but Shido didn't lose his nerve and continued singing, yet at the same time he wasn't as confident or powerful as Miku.

Fortunately none of the girls around Shido cared about the quality of his singing. The thought of how horrible or wonderful he may have sounded didn't cross any of their minds. What they cared about more than anything was that he was here. They were reminded of that truth every day.

Miku turned to look at Kurumi. What she saw was something that shouldn't have surprised her, but it did anyway.

Kurumi's eyes were shining. The lights were dim, and the brightness of her visible eye color wasn't changing, but even in this environment, Miku could see the feelings that Kurumi was showing.

Tohka had noticed Miku's stare, and also decided to look at Kurumi. While being stared at by two girls would most likely make many people feel awkward, Kurumi wasn't aware of either of them. She only paid attention to the man up front, admiring him from afar and showing that she always would.

Miku and Tohka made eye contact with each other. Just like how they could see the emotion in Kurumi's eyes, they were also able to see the emotion in each other's eyes. The two of them were close enough to understand each other without exchanging any words. They smiled at how close they were now. There was a hint of jealousy and sadness, but there was no hatred.

Tohka and Miku had come to respect Shido's feelings since what felt like a long time ago.

After the song ended, Shido inhaled deeply as if he had run out of breath on the last part.

"I think you sang better when you were a girl."

Miku began to tease Shido.

"Well, sorry for being a guy."

Shido replied with a grin.

"Don't worry, Shido, I liked your singing."

Tohka patted Shido on the back as he sat back onto his spot.

"It was truly amusing."

Kurumi gave an ambiguous comment.

"I can't tell if that was a compliment or not…"

"Of course it was. It's always amusing."

"That doesn't clarify anything…"

Kurumi gave another one of her soft giggles.

"Alright, then I guess it's my turn."

Tohka got out of her seat and grabbed the microphone that Shido had set back on the coffee table.

The lights remained dim, and the song began to play.

Surprisingly, Tohka had found a song about food, and she sang it with enthusiasm. It was almost as upbeat as Miku's song, but it was also somewhat childish.

Regardless, Shido could tell that Tohka was singing her heart out. He always appreciated the fact that she was living her life to the fullest. He was always worried about how she would take care of herself after he confronted her about Kurumi, but she began to take care of herself before even that.

The moment Tohka's song ended, her food had arrived, and so she immediately sat down and began to devour her order, not waiting for any feedback. Shido gave a smile that said she was hopeless and past the point of no return.

"I guess the next singer is me."

Kurumi got out from her seat and grabbed the microphone from the coffee table. She held the microphone to her mouth, and waited for the song to begin.

Kurumi's choice was a somewhat slow tune. Her singing was slightly above average, but it was only almost as wonderful as Miku's.

Kurumi didn't dance along with the music, and it lacked the enthusiasm of Tohka's, but there was emotion that could be felt in the singing.

Regardless of how much Kurumi's singing had or lacked compared to Miku and Tohka's, her voice had still managed to surprise Shido. This was the second time he was able to hear her sing. It was something that he didn't get to witness often, so he didn't know what to expect from her despite the depth of their relationship now.

Miku's singing managed to keep Shido upbeat. Tohka's singing reminded him to always have fun. But he saw something entirely different in Kurumi's singing. He managed to experience something rare a second time. The fact that he couldn't listen to her singing often was what made him appreciate the fact that she could. And so he watched the girl in front of him sing a song like any normal person would, a grin spreading across his face.

Kurumi had the power to use time when she was a spirit, but after sealing her powers, she was unable to use those powers again. Despite that, it felt as though time had slowed down just so Shido could listen to her enchanting voice.

Unfortunately slowing down time wasn't the same as stopping time, and Kurumi's song eventually came to an end.

Kurumi turned around and looked at Shido nervously. It took him a few seconds to realize that she wanted to know what he thought. Once again he found that he couldn't find any words.

Kurumi gave a thin smile at Shido's silent amazement. To her that was more than enough of a praise.

"See, even Darling liked your singing. So much that he's speechless"

"Umu, well done, Kurumi."

Tohka nodded in agreement with Miku.

"Now then, Kurumi-san, are you ready for round two?"

Kurumi looked at her score on the television and saw that she had the second highest score out of the group. She sighed.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped."

"You said it."

Miku got up from her seat and grabbed the other microphone from the coffee table. Without any time to sit back down, Kurumi brought the microphone to her mouth. Miku stood to her left, and their new song began to play.

Kurumi didn't even have time to know what song she was singing, but impressively she managed to follow Miku's lead. The song wasn't another slow one, but at the same time it wasn't as upbeat as Miku's either. It was picked so that one wouldn't be ahead of or behind the other.

Even with a song that wasn't as upbeat as her first one, Miku continued to dance appropriately to the rhythm of the song.

Shockingly, the dancing even influenced Kurumi a little, as she started to do something that was beyond everyone's expectations. She began to dance.

Miku had noticed her singing partner, and her own eyes widened a little. She continued to sing, but she glanced over at Kurumi every now and then. Eventually the two made eye contact, and they began to dance in unison, both of them smiling.

Tohka and Shido watched with amazement.

The synergy between Miku and Kurumi was unbelievable.

The song was normal, and Kurumi's singing didn't improve at all, but combined with Miku's singing, it was the happiest thing they'd ever seen.

Most importantly, the duet was out of character.

As the worst spirit, Kurumi spent most of her days hidden. She watched everything from the darkness of her shadow, meaning she was practically the opposite of Miku. And yet she was now expressing herself in another way Shido had never seen.

Together, Miku and Kurumi continued to sing, one not slowing down for the other, but one not falling behind the other either.

No matter how dim the lights were, Miku and Kurumi were shining brighter than anything Shido and Tohka had ever seen.

* * *

Exiting the glass doors and heading back outside, Shido noticed that there was a thin blanket of snow covering Tenguu City now.

"Well, that was quite fun~"

Miku stretched her arms despite the fact that she didn't do anything strenuous with them.

"Umu. Let's do it again sometime."

Tohka spoke with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, anytime."

Shido gave a slight nod in agreement. He and Kurumi faced their comrades from the karaoke room.

"We actually have somewhere to be, so we'll be heading off now."

"It was a pleasure singing with you, Miku-san."

Kurumi spoke to Miku with a cool smile.

"Same here. You were really good, Kurumi-san."

Miku returned a smile of her own. She began to turn around while waving.

"Merry Christmas Eve~"

Tohka copied Miku's behavior.

"I'll see you later."

Tohka kept waving to Shido and Kurumi until she caught up with Miku.

The couple returned the wave until Tohka and Miku were out of sight.

"Shall we get going too?"

Kurumi smiled warmly.

"Yes, let's."

Holding hands again, Shido and Kurumi began to walk in the opposite direction from where Tohka and Miku went.

* * *

"My, Kurumi-san is so lucky~"

After walking a few blocks, Miku decided to start a conversation.

"Hm?"

Tohka looked at Miku with wonder.

"She's not even an idol, yet she still managed to win someone over."

Tohka continued to observe Miku in silence.

"Hey, Tohka-san."

Miku made eye contact with Tohka.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today."

Tohka thought that she saw a hint of sadness in Miku's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She understood what Miku was feeling all too well.

Fortunately Tohka had more time to cope with her own feelings, thus she also understood that what Miku needed now was a little more time.

Tohka grabbed Miku's wrist and walked ahead, pulling her along.

"Come on, we're going to be late."

Seeing the kindness Tohka was showing, Miku couldn't help but give a bright smile. She continued to let Tohka pull her to their next destination, not slowing down for anything.

_**To Be Continued**_


	4. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

About half an hour after walking, Shido and Kurumi ended up walking in a park near Tenguu Qwinted.

Kurumi had a look of disappointment on her face.

"What's wrong Kurumi?"

Shido noticed Kurumi's sad expression.

"…no…it's nothing…"

Shido continued looking at Kurumi, wondering what could be bothering her. He began to notice his lack of courtesy and suddenly cursed himself for it.

"Ah…sorry…do you want to go somewhere else?"

* * *

The park that Shido and Kurumi were wandering in was the same one they had gone to when they had their first date, but it was also around here where he had witnessed Kurumi unleash her dark side as a spirit by killing people. It was such an ugly scene that Shido began to fear Kurumi.

* * *

"No, I'm alright. But…"

Kurumi looked at Shido with a worried expression.

"Are you fine with this, Shido-san?"

Kurumi knew that what she had done was unacceptable. There would be no way to redeem herself, but she also knew that she had to make up for her past behavior anyway. Fortunately, Shido was able to see past her cold self, which was what allowed her to be with him now. She had accepted the fact that she may never be forgiven and decided to move forward, but she wasn't sure if Shido could forget the trauma that she had etched into his memories.

Understanding what Kurumi meant now, Shido moved to stand in front of Kurumi and brought his face closer to hers until they were only inches apart. His behavior caused Kurumi to look at him in the eyes. They showed no form of fear or regret. Instead they were gentle. Very gentle.

"I told you, didn't I? No matter what you do, I won't give up on you."

Kurumi continued to stare into Shido's eyes with a pitiful look.

"I still mean that. Even now."

The weather had gotten colder after Shido and Kurumi had left the karaoke room. It was so cold that one could see their breath if they exhaled enough, thus Kurumi's breathing had become slightly heavier from being so close to Shido.

The two of them were so close that it may have looked like Shido was going for a kiss if someone was watching. Kurumi seemed to have been thinking of the same outcome.

The new mood suddenly made Shido want to actually give Kurumi a kiss. Both of them began to slowly lean their faces closer, shortening the gap between them, when suddenly…

Shido felt an extremely cold sensation at the back of his head, causing him to yelp and turn away from Kurumi. Looking behind him, he spotted two girls standing several feet behind him.

"Hehe, making moves on a girl this late at night? Shido, you dog."

"Surveillance. Shido is rather bold today."

The girls approached Shido and Kurumi. One of them had a friendly smile on her face. Her eyes were blue, and her orange hair was tied into two long portions.

The other person accompanying the girl had an identical appearance, except her hair was tied into three portions, and her eyes were half-closed, making her seem as if she were bored.

"Kaguya. Yuzuru."

"Good evening."

Kurumi greeted the two girls with a nod.

"I see you two are as lively as always."

The more expressive looking girl smirked.

"Look who's talking."

Shido gave a smirk of his own.

* * *

Kaguya Yamai was actually half of a spirit that was named Yamai. Her other half was her twin sister standing next to her, Yuzuru Yamai.

As siblings, the Yamai twins were incredibly close, yet they were also very competitive. In the past they had many challenges in order to see who would gain dominance over the other so that they could revive themselves as the original Yamai, however, the result of the former spirit returning would cause the defeated twin to disappear. Shido became involved with one of their challenges, and after finding out the truth, he had decided to seal their powers so that the both of them could live.

* * *

"Question. What brings you two out here?"

Yuzuru spoke in a somewhat monotone voice.

"No reason, we were just walking around."

Kurumi was the one who responded.

"Oh?"

Kaguya exclaimed her doubt.

"That looked more than just walking around."

Kaguya nudged Shido with her elbow.

"You two should have gotten a room instead."

"If I was going to do that then I wouldn't be here."

Shido made a face that said that he didn't want to argue.

"That's good. Remember, you still belong to us."

"Confirm. Shido is still Kaguya and Yuzuru's property."

Kaguya heaved a sigh. Her breath could be seen, rising into the air and dissipating shortly after.

"Unfortunately we have to share him with our kin over there."

Kaguya gestured to Kurumi with her thumb.

Yuzuru leaned towards Kurumi with her hands held together.

"Plea. Kurumi, please let us have the rest of Shido."

"Hmm, what should I do?"

Kurumi brought her finger to her chin to show that she was pondering Yuzuru's suggestion.

"What's with that reaction!?"

Shido would have been heartbroken by now if he didn't know that Kurumi was teasing him.

Kaguya snickered.

"Even Kurumi knows how hopeless it is to be with you."

"Unfortunately I can't do that."

Kurumi responded firmly.

"Ah, we got rejected."

"That's because you're misunderstanding, Kaguya-san, Yuzuru-san."

"Eh?"

Kaguya and Yuzuru looked at Kurumi with surprise.

"Shido-san belongs to me."

Shido stared at Kurumi blankly.

"But I also belong to Shido-san."

Kurumi was now pointing her finger in the air.

"So technically, I belong to you too."

"Ah, I see."

Kaguya hit the palm of her hand with her other fist.

"That means we already own the rest of Shido."

"Enlightenment. I didn't consider that."

"Then this is perfect."

Kaguya grabbed Shido's wrist as Yuzuru grabbed Kurumi's.

"What's perfect?"

The sudden act from the Yamai twins surprised Shido and Kurumi.

"We'll have you participate in one of our challenges."

"Eh? You're still doing those?"

Kaguya grinned.

"Of course. It just so happens to be snowing today."

"Decree. Since you two belong to us, you will join us in our snowball fight."

"Snowball fight? It only started snowing recently."

"My, that sounds like fun."

Disregarding Shido's reasoning, Kurumi was going along with the Yamai twins' offer. The dejected look that she was giving earlier had vanished, causing Shido to have a change of heart.

"Alright, alright, we'll join you in your snowball fight."

"Excellent. Then follow us."

The Yamai twins began walking further into the park, pulling the couple along with them.

* * *

Arriving at a broad field, Shido could see several piles of snow being formed into what seemed like forts.

There were other people around who Shido didn't recognize. They all seemed as though they were involved in the snowball fight.

"Did you invite all of these people?"

"Deny. We did not invite them."

"They were the ones leading the snowball fight, so we were planning on joining them."

"Why do you need us for this?"

"No reason. You two said that you were just walking around, weren't you?"

"That's true."

Shido surrendered to Kaguya's point.

By the time Shido and the others joined the group of people, they had split into teams. However…

Kaguya stood on one side of the field with Shido…

And Yuzuru stood on the other side of the field with Kurumi…

"Alright, Shido, as my property, I order you to not hold back on your girlfriend."

"No, I think she'd have a harder time holding back on me."

Shido tried to remind Kaguya that Kurumi was also a powerful spirit and that he was technically still human.

"We'll toughen you up."

"Right…"

Kaguya wasn't going to return to her senses anytime soon.

One of the people who had joined the snowball fight had a whistle. The moment he blew it, snowballs began flying towards and away from Shido.

There were no rules in the snowball fight other than the fact that no one was allowed to pack anything dangerous inside the snowballs.

There were also no time limits or rounds that the group followed.

Everyone merely wanted to play with the snow, and so some of them kept getting hit with snowballs repeatedly, never being knocked out of the game.

Shido had even gotten hit in the face a few times. The last one was from Kurumi.

Smiling, Shido began to chase Kurumi, not paying attention to all of the other people throwing snowballs. He got hit in areas such as the back of his head, his left leg, and so on. Regardless, he continued to chase Kurumi. She occasionally threw snowballs back, and Shido would return them.

As Shido chased Kurumi, he realized that he was catching up to her. Suddenly, she decided to change direction and made a sharp left, running behind a snow fort.

Shido decided to also turn, but stopped immediately afterwards. The moment he had turned, Kurumi and Yuzuru were standing with a few other people, all of them holding snowballs in their hands. As they prepared to throw, Shido turned around and made a tactical retreat.

After running for a while, Shido looked behind him to see if anyone was following him. The moment he turned his head, a cold sensation exploded across the left side of his face. He wiped some snow off and saw that Kurumi was the only one chasing him. A smile visible across her face.

Kurumi's team had been intercepted by Shido's, and both sides were having an all-out confrontation.

Shido noticed that he was smiling along with Kurumi. She was catching up to him. In fact, she was so close now that she could just barely grab him if she were to reach out for him.

Suddenly, Shido could see that Kurumi was losing her balance. She made a yelp as she suddenly fell forward.

Shido's body moved on instinct. He immediately stopped running, spun around, and took a few steps forward. He held out his arms to catch Kurumi from falling, but she had already past his hands and hit him square in the chest harder than he thought.

The two of them ended up falling down together, with Shido lying flat on the snowy ground and Kurumi lying on top of him. They stared at each other blankly. Neither of them were hurt, but there was now snow on their heads. Despite how cold it was, they didn't pay attention to the sensation that came from it. Instead, they were both laughing. They were having so much fun that they thought they were acting like children without a care in the world.

Eventually the laughter faded, and Shido and Kurumi continued to stare tenderly at each other. They began to slowly bring their faces closer to each other.

Suddenly, Shido saw a large amount of snow explode at the back of Kurumi's head. Kurumi yelped and turned around to look for the person who had ruined the mood. Kaguya stood several feet behind her, tossing and catching a snowball in the air with her right hand.

"No dirty scenes on the battlefield!"

Kaguya threw her other snowball.

Kurumi covered her head and laughed as the snowball hit her softly in the back. She immediately got off of Shido and began to run away as she continued laughing.

Kaguya stood with a smug expression on her face, but her moment of victory was shortly lived, as a snowball flew directly to the back of her head.

"Complaint. That was a cheap shot, Kaguya."

"All's fair in love and war, my dear sister, Yuzuru!"

Kaguya formed another snowball at an unbelievably fast speed and was prepared to return fire at Yuzuru, but another snowball had hit the back of her head when she turned to face her twin. She looked back to see Shido laughing. His right arm was extended as if he had just thrown something.

"Shido! What's the big idea!?"

"All's fair in love and war, right?"

"T-Traitor!"

Yuzuru tried to stifle a laugh of her own.

"Hey, Yuzuru, don't just laugh! Help me!"

Kaguya was now outnumbered thanks to Shido's treason, so she thought that asking her sister for help would be something that could turn the tables.

As Yuzuru continued to hold in her laughter, a snowball suddenly hit her square in the face. She wiped the snow away and looked in the direction the snowball had come from.

Kurumi could be seen laughing as she hid most of herself behind a snow fort.

"Shock. I was also just betrayed."

"Hey, Yuzuru. Shall we?"

"Agree. Let's establish a truce."

Yuzuru moved forward to stand next to Kaguya, both of them facing Shido and Kurumi. Shido was still lying on the ground.

"Uh-oh."

The Yamai twins were strong when they competed against each other, but they were even stronger when they worked as a team.

Shido knew that he was now in immense danger. He thought that he was feeling heat coming from the aura that the twins in front of him were emitting.

Shido immediately stood up and ran over to where Kurumi was hiding. He crouched next to her after reaching the fort.

"It seems the situation has changed."

"Ah, it's hard going against them when they're a team."

"What should we do?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Shido held a snowball in his right hand. Kurumi showed one that she was holding in her own. They nodded at each other and ran to opposite ends of the snow fort, ready to face their opponents.

* * *

Shido and the others were walking along a path in the park, each of their heads covered with snow.

"That wasn't half bad, Kurumi."

Kaguya praised Kurumi for her display in the battlefield.

"I'm grateful for the flattery, Kaguya-san."

"Astonished. I was surprised that you didn't run away, Shido."

"Thanks for that."

Shido responded with a hint of sarcasm.

Kaguya and Kurumi laughed at Yuzuru's tease.

The Yamai twins continued walking with Shido and Kurumi out of the park and all the way to the shopping district.

They decided to stop at a nearby coffee shop.

Meanwhile it had stopped snowing.

* * *

After warming up with some hot chocolate, Shido and Kurumi were now facing the Yamai twins in front of the coffee shop that they had decided to stop at.

"Well, that was quite fun. Let's do it again sometime."

Kaguya gave a friendly smile and held both hands on her hips, though no one knew what she was being proud of.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun too."

Shido couldn't help but give a smirk of his own at Kaguya's behavior.

"Approve. Yuzuru also had fun."

"That makes four of us."

The four of them laughed again, amused that they all felt the same way.

"Well, we've got somewhere to be, so we'll be on our way."

Kaguya turned while waving to Shido and Kurumi.

"Request. Please take care of yourselves."

"Yeah, take care, you two."

Yuzuru looked at Kaguya, who was now completely turned away from the pair standing behind her.

"Hey, Shido."

"Hm?"

Shido stared at Kaguya, not knowing what expression she had on her face.

"Thanks for finding a way to keep Yuzuru here."

The display of gratitude caught Shido off guard.

Kurumi looked at Yuzuru, and they both smiled.

There was a moment of silence.

"Later."

Kaguya began to walk forward, leaving Shido and Kurumi behind.

Yuzuru gave a nod and caught up with her sister.

Shido waved for as long as he could.

* * *

"Do you still want to walk around?"

After losing sight of the Yamai twins, Shido and Kurumi were trying to decide what they should do next.

"As much as I'd like to…"

Kurumi looked at a clock nearby. It was now midnight.

"Ah, it's really late. Should we stop here then?"

After a pause, Kurumi gave a nod. A look of disappointment could be seen on her face.

"Do you not want to go home?"

Kurumi shook her head.

"No, that's not it…it's just that…I wish that our date would last a little longer…"

Understanding how Kurumi felt, Shido had walked towards her and began petting her head.

"There's no hurry."

Kurumi looked at Shido blankly.

"We can walk for a little longer and then head home. Does that sound good?"

Kurumi beamed, knowing that she and Shido both still wanted to spend time with each other. She clung onto his right arm happily while giving an enthusiastic consent.

"Yes."

With Kurumi clinging onto her boyfriend's arm, the two of them resume their date, transitioning from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

Enjoying her first Chupa Chup on Christmas Day, a girl with red twin tails and eyes stared at the giant monitor in front of her. She wore black ribbons tied around her hair which were forming the twin tails, and they were a sign that said that she currently had the authority of a commander.

Kotori Itsuka led the organization that went by the name of Ratatoskr. Their objective was to rescue spirits that appeared after spacequakes by providing backup for the only man who had the power to seal them with a kiss.

Right now Kotori was observing that very man and the love of his life. She had been observing them the moment the couple met each other at the ticket booth of Tenguu Qwinted.

Today wasn't a mission to save a spirit, however it was a special day that was certain to be romantic. At least, that's what Kotori felt when it came to the people on her monitor. In hopes of bringing them together, she had decided to give them a special present of her own for what was now Christmas Day.

_Don't miss your chance, Shido._

Kotori heard a voice coming from behind her after a door opened.

"We've arrived."

Kotori turned her chair around to see two girls who looked nearly identical standing in front of the door that had opened behind her. Both of their hair colors were orange, and their eyes were blue. The only ways to distinguish the two of them physically were to either compare their hair styles, their facial expressions, or their chest sizes.

"How'd it go?"

"They had a blast."

Kaguya Yamai gave a thumbs up to Kotori.

"Concur. Shido and Kurumi were enjoying themselves."

Yuzuru Yamai provided the same opinion.

"Good. Thanks to you two, we can take it a little easy."

Kotori had asked the Yamai twins to stall Shido and Kurumi so that she could continue her plans without any setbacks in the near future.

"Where are the others?"

"They're taking a break in another room."

"Concern. You aren't joining them?"

Kotori turned to look at Yuzuru and gave a reassuring smile.

"I'm alright. Don't worry about it."

Kotori turned her attention to a monitor that was showing the weather outside.

"More importantly you two should go and join the others. You'll be in charge of the finale, after all."

"Yeah, we'll do that. Thanks."

Kaguya and Yuzuru exited the command room.

After confirming that the sisters had left, Kotori looked back at the monitor that was keeping track of Shido and Kurumi.

* * *

"Are you doing okay, Yoshino, Yoshinon?"

Tohka and Miku had boarded the Fraxinus a little over an hour ago and were spending time with Yoshino in what seemed like a lounge. There were food and decorations as if a party was taking place, except the three of them and one other person were the only people around.

None of the members of Ratatoskr could be seen.

"Yes…I'm alright…"

"No need to worry about us, Tohka-chan."

Yoshino and Yoshinon assured Tohka that they were unharmed.

"Make sure you don't push yourself too hard, though."

Miku was also concerned about the two partners in front of her.

Yoshino shook her head.

"It's alright…after all…I want to make sure…Shido-san and Kurumi-san…enjoy their date."

"You're doing something very nice, Yoshino-san."

Miku began to pet Yoshino's head, admiring her tenacity.

"How are you doing, Natsumi?"

Tohka wanted to make sure the other person sitting next to Yoshino was doing just as well.

Natsumi replied with a nod.

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"That's good."

Tohka gave a cheerful smile. Meanwhile the door behind her had opened, and two girls entered the room.

"So this was where you were."

"Located. Tohka and others found."

"Oh, Kaguya, Yuzuru, you made it."

Tohka turned around to greet the Yamai twins.

"Yeah, sorry we're a little late."

Tohka shook her head.

"How'd it go?"

"It was fun."

"Wish. I hope that we can do this again next year."

Kaguya walked over to Miku.

"I hear you and Kurumi had an insane duet."

Miku replied with an excited nod.

"Yeah, she was great."

"Care to have one with me?"

"Is that a challenge, Kaguya-san?"

"Hehe, they're one of the things that I live for."

"Alright then."

Although Miku had gone singing with Shido and Kurumi, she showed no apprehension in singing again.

"Count me in too!"

Tohka didn't show any weariness towards more karaoke either. She turns to Yoshino and Natsumi.

"Shall we join them?"

Yoshino and Natsumi looked at each other and nodded before walking over to where Miku and the Yamai twins were.

Tohka followed shortly after pausing to admire the gathering in front of her.

* * *

After walking for a little longer, Shido and Kurumi ended up wandering in their neighborhood, no longer holding hands, but still walking side by side. Nothing else noteworthy had occurred since the snowball fight with the Yamai twins.

There was no encounter with anyone else who Shido or Kurumi knew, so they decided to finally end their date by heading home.

Despite nothing actually happening, Kurumi seemed to have been pleased with spending more time with Shido. The feeling was mutual for him.

The weather had gotten colder, and Shido's breath was even more visible now whenever he exhaled. The same was for Kurumi.

"Today was pretty interesting, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly was."

Neither Shido nor Kurumi had planned on doing anything exciting on their date, yet they ended up spending time with their closest friends, which ended up being fun for both of them, even when nothing else truly exciting happened afterwards. It was more than they could have asked for, and it made Shido happy to see how well Kurumi got along with the others.

"Hm?"

Normally Shido's neighborhood looked like any other neighborhood, however he and Kurumi suddenly noticed that there was something suspicious on the road they were walking across.

An arch stood several feet in front of them. It had a design of red and white stripes across its entire body and had a sign that said "Merry Christmas" on top.

"What's that doing here?"

Shido and Kurumi continued to walk towards the arch. Eventually they ended up being directly underneath it. Kurumi noticed something else hanging from the top and stopped walking. Shido stopped a few steps in front of her shortly after.

"What's wrong, Kurumi?"

"Shido-san, what's that?"

Kurumi pointed to the ceiling of the arch. It took Shido a while to notice, but the moment he saw the object that was being suspended by a string, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

"Why is that there!?"

Shido hissed, suddenly losing his composure.

Kurumi looked at him with curiosity, not comprehending why he was behaving in such a way.

Realizing that Kurumi still wanted an explanation, Shido reluctantly explained to her what the object hovering above them was.

"Well…um…I don't really know the story behind it, but…"

Shido scratched his cheek.

"…have you ever heard of a mistletoe?"

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"Mistle...toe...?"

Kurumi's facial expression didn't change, telling Shido that she had never heard of it. Sometimes he hated the fact that he was the only one who knew about these kinds of things.

"The thing about a mistletoe is…"

Despite how cold it was, beads of sweat began to roll down Shido's cheek.

"…if a guy and a girl are standing underneath one…"

"Yes?"

"…they're expected to…"

Shido turned his head to look at Kurumi.

"…kiss…"

Kurumi didn't say anything, as if she were still processing what Shido had said. Meanwhile snow had begun to fall again. There was a moment of silence that felt like it was lasting for an eternity.

...

Understanding soon spread across Kurumi's face, causing her face to turn red. She felt her heart beating faster, causing her to turn away instinctively. She never knew that there was something as convenient as a mistletoe to use as an excuse for kissing.

"I-If you really don't want to, you don't have to."

Shido's face was slowly turning redder. Before the situation grew any more awkward, he thought he should tell Kurumi that she didn't have to follow any kind of tradition.

Regardless, the moment Shido told Kurumi that she didn't have to kiss him made her heart sank.

There was an unbearably long pause.

"…Shido-san…did you have fun today?"

"Eh?"

Shido was surprised by the sudden question.

Despite feeling embarrassed, Kurumi turned around to look at Shido in the eyes. They told him that she was troubled by something.

"Of course I did."

"You truly didn't have any regrets?"

"…regrets?"

Something dawned on Shido the moment Kurumi mentioned his supposed regrets.

"Are you still worried about that?"

Kurumi remained silent. Shido shook his head in disbelief.

There was a short pause.

Shido continued to look at Kurumi's facial expression. There was now a look of sadness on her face. He gave an exhausted sigh. His foggy breath rising into the night sky and vanishing without a trace.

"Alright. I'll tell you."

Shido took a few steps closer to Kurumi until he stood directly in front of her. Both of them continued to make eye contact.

Suddenly, Kurumi felt an ice cold sensation on her left cheek. At first the sensation was so cold that she shivered, but the cold sensation began to quickly grow warm.

Shido was caressing Kurumi's cheek with his right hand. It was now so warm that she could have melted on the spot, but Shido's gaze prevented her from doing so.

The warmth of Shido's hand made Kurumi place her own hand on top of his, and eventually it also became warm. She was a little ashamed that the man in front of her could make her forget about her worries so easily. She couldn't even remember what she was just thinking about. At some point her thoughts were filled with him, and now he was the only person on her mind.

"Kurumi."

Shido's voice brought Kurumi back to her senses.

"You're right. I do have regrets."

Kurumi felt a stab of pain in her chest.

"I wish I could have saved you sooner."

Kurumi's eyes widened at Shido's confession.

"I wish I could have been with you sooner, and I wish I could have told you how I felt sooner."

There was a sad emotion in Shido's eyes.

"I love Tohka."

The pain in Kurumi's chest grew.

"I love Miku. I love Kaguya and Yuzuru too. And I feel the same way about Kotori, Yoshino, Yoshinon, and Natsumi."

Kurumi's heart was closer to breaking each time Shido combined the word love with the name of his friends.

"I couldn't help but think of how much pain I may have made them felt when they saw the two of us. Maybe things would have been better if I hadn't been with anyone."

Kurumi's eyes began to water.

"But…"

Shido could see Kurumi being torn apart in her eyes.

"I have to live with these regrets. I can't forget about them, because they're too painful."

By now tears had started trickling down Kurumi's cheeks.

"But most importantly, I have to live with these regrets, because I love you more than anyone else."

Kurumi's stream of tears continued to flow, but Shido's hand remained on her left cheek.

"Shido-san…"

Kurumi managed to say Shido's name but with a choked voice.

"To be honest, it really hurts."

Shido gave a sad smile that said that he truly was in pain.

"But if it's you, then I'm willing to take in all of it."

Shido brought the hand that he was caressing Kurumi's cheek with to the back of her head and pulled her closer towards him. His other hand was wrapped around Kurumi's waist.

There was a brief silence.

Feeling the warmth of his chest, Kurumi found that she couldn't keep her feelings in check any longer. And so she cried. She cried as quietly as she could, but occasionally there was a loud whimper.

Shido continued to hold her firmly.

"Shido-san…I love you…"

Kurumi tried to tell Shido how she felt, fighting her other thoughts of doing otherwise.

"I love you…so much…"

Kurumi gripped Shido's winter jacket tightly.

"Yeah...I love you too."

"Are you really okay with someone like me?"

"Would I have gone on a date with you if I wasn't?"

Kurumi continued to cry in Shido's chest. Eventually it began to fade, but both of them remained standing, embracing each other for a little longer while cherishing the silence that they currently had.

...

Moments passed until the grip on Shido's jacket began to loosen.

Shido took that as Kurumi's way of saying that she was feeling better. The two leaned back to look at each other, still holding themselves in each other's arms.

Kurumi gave Shido a reassuring smile.

Shido gave a satisfied smile of his own.

"So, how about you? Did you have fun today?"

Shido asked Kurumi the same question that she had asked him a while ago. Her smile widened.

"Yes, today was a very fun day."

"Good."

"Although…"

Kurumi tilted her head in bemusement.

"Although…?"

Shido wondered what else could be bothering Kurumi.

"…I'm still not sure what it's like to kiss under a mistletoe…"

Shido looked at Kurumi with disbelief for a brief moment. Her face was a light shade of red. She had been crying a moment ago, and now she had brought up the topic of kissing again.

Kurumi herself couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Shido, causing him to give a hopeless smile. The truth was that he never knew what it was like to kiss under a mistletoe either. He also didn't know why one would be here, but he immediately brushed the pointless thought aside. Right now there was only thing that he could think of.

Shido gave an exhausted sigh.

"It can't be helped."

Shido began to move his face closer to Kurumi's, his embrace growing firm. Kurumi felt his hold on her tighten, and looked back at Shido nervously. Shortly after she looked, she felt a warm and soft sensation on her lips. The action was rather sudden to her, which caused her to widen her eyes in shock, but eventually her eyelids started to become half closed. Wanting to enjoy the kiss even more, Kurumi closed her eyes completely and began to return Shido's feelings. The kiss lasted under a minute, but it felt like it had lasted for much longer.

Eventually Shido and Kurumi broke from the kiss. Both of them were still holding each other close, and they were now looking at each other warmly. Neither of them felt that that kiss was enough.

After a pause, the two of them brought their faces closer a second time, and they began to kiss again.

The second kiss was much more passionate than the first one.

Shido and Kurumi wondered if this was actually considered a kiss, since they seemed to be doing it for such a long time. In the end the best term to call it was a soft make out session. Sometimes the parting of their lips made an embarrassing smacking sound, and their breath could be seen when they breathed out in the cold.

Sometimes pants escaped from Kurumi's mouth, causing her to feel embarrassed, but Shido didn't seem to care, so she continued pouring her feelings.

Moments later they broke from the kiss, their embrace loosening, but neither wanting to let go of one another. They returned to looking at each other, their cheeks a light pink.

"I guess that's how it feels to kiss under a mistletoe…"

Kurumi gave a weak giggle, still recovering from what had just happened.

"Christmas seems to be an interesting holiday..."

White particles were falling beside the arch.

Shido looked around and noticed that snow was still falling. There was an even thicker blanket covering Tenguu City now.

Shido began to realize how cold the weather truly was. He turned to look at Kurumi.

"Shall we head home?"

"Yes, let's."

Kurumi gave a slight nod. She and Shido break off from their hug but still decide to hold hands. Passing the arch, they head home, their hearts a little lighter.

* * *

Shortly after Shido and Kurumi began walking home, Shido's phone began to vibrate. The caller ID showed that Kotori was trying to contact him. He answered the phone, wondering why she was calling at this time.

"Hello? Kotori?"

"Oh, Shido, are you home?"

Kotori's question bothered Shido.

"Why are you asking if I'm home? Aren't you home?"

"Well, the truth is, I'm sleeping at a friend's place, so the house is all yours tonight."

"Hah?"

Shido exclaimed his disbelief.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I forgot. Anyway, that's how it is. I'll talk to you later."

Before Shido could say anymore, Kotori had hung up.

"…"

Shido was still trying to process what had just happened.

Kotori was staying at a friend's house, but she had told him at an irregular time, and it was also while he and Kurumi were heading home.

"Shido-san, is something the matter?"

"…I'm not sure…"

Shido was now worried about Kotori, thus he decided that the best course of action was to check if she really had left for her friend's place when he got home.

"It didn't seem urgent, but let's head home anyway."

Shido and Kurumi continued their walk home, neither one of them being able to completely grasp the current situation.

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

"We're home."

Yelling a greeting inside his house, Shido wanted to confirm if anyone was around to welcome him. There was no reply. He looked at the floor and noticed that there were no empty shoes lying around.

"Looks like Kotori really isn't home."

"Should we go look for her?"

Kurumi had already walked in and started taking her shoes off. Normally Shido would comment on her sudden brazen behavior, but she had been living with him ever since he had sealed her powers at the previous Tanabata festival, so her actions were actually rather typical.

"No, she said she would sleep at a friend's house, so it should be fine."

"I see…"

Kurumi shifted nervously in place.

"In other words…it's only the two of us…"

* * *

Since the day Shido and Kurumi started living together, there had been moments when they were alone by themselves, but Shido still had trouble keeping his composure around Kurumi. The feeling seemed mutual. Sometimes they would avoid each other, but there were also times when they had heart to heart moments together by themselves.

* * *

Kurumi looked at Shido nervously, now making eye contact with him.

Meanwhile Shido's heartbeat had accelerated. He felt as though he needed to do something to clear his head before facing this dilemma.

* * *

In the living room, Kurumi had decided to warm up by drinking some hot chocolate again. As she drank out of her mug, her phone began to vibrate. The phone was given to her by Kotori, Shido's little sister, a few days after her powers had been sealed. It took her less than a day to get used to making and receiving phone calls and text messages.

Kurumi picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Ah, good, you're still awake. Merry Christmas."

"Kotori-san? Ah, yes, Merry Christmas."

It was almost two in the morning.

Kurumi was slightly surprised that Kotori was making a phone call at this hour. She also remembered how concerned Shido was and decided to clarify a few things for herself.

"Are you still at your friend's house?"

"Oh, did Shido tell you? Sorry, that was a lie."

"I see."

Kurumi wasn't worried about Kotori, but she had her suspicions when Shido had told her that his sister would be staying at a friend's house.

"Don't worry, I really am alright over here. More importantly…"

There was a moment of pause.

"…this is your chance."

"Excuse me?"

"You and Shido still aren't completely used to being alone together at home, and yet you're lovers."

Kurumi imagined Kotori having a smirk on her face.

"Get it?"

"I see, so this was your idea."

"Yeah, we're leaving him to you."

Kurumi didn't miss the part where Kotori said "we're."

"I take it Tohka-san and the others are with you, then."

Kotori was impressed by Kurumi's sharpness.

"That's right."

There was another pause.

"I take it you know what to do."

Kurumi gave a slightly mischievous smile.

"Yes."

"Then our work is done. You two enjoy yourselves. I'll be back later today."

Kotori sounded as though she was about to hang up.

"Ah, just a moment, Kotori-san."

There was something that Kurumi had wanted to tell Kotori.

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

Silence.

"Please don't make thanking me a habit. It's a little disturbing, coming from you."

"Even so, I think you deserve one."

"Yes, yes, you're welcome."

Kurumi gave an amused chuckle.

Kotori responded as if she was already tired of arguing.

"…you've changed…"

"My, have I?"

Kurumi asked while pretending not to notice.

"I guess that's up to you."

Kurumi gave a chuckle.

"I guess so."

"Well, do your best. What's Shido doing right now?"

* * *

Shido couldn't help but heave a sigh as he lie in the bathtub. Not knowing any other way to clear his head, he thought that soaking in some warm water after being out in the cold was the best he could do.

Kurumi had decided to have a cup of hot chocolate to warm up instead.

Alone with Kurumi. This wouldn't be the first time that something like this was happening, but sometimes Shido's heart would still pound a little faster whenever he made eye contact with her. It made him on edge most of the time now that they were seeing each other more often.

At first Shido thought that being shy around Kurumi was a good sign, showing that he still saw her as an attractive girl, but at the same time he could hardly be in the same room with Kurumi without feeling flustered, which also meant that he was upsetting her by making her feel lonely.

Compared to the times when they would go out, Shido had seen Kurumi come out of the bath with nothing but a towel. Sometimes he even saw her in a sleeping gown, and he would lose all of his ability to think. It was true that he had seen more daring outfits that Kurumi had worn when they had first met, but that didn't mean that he had gotten used to the way she had appealed to him now. Thus, he was avoiding Kurumi from time to time. He wasn't avoiding her too often, but he had to admit that there were times when he wanted to kick himself for hurting her feelings. Even worse, there were even times when he thought about doing lewd things to her.

However today was Christmas Day, and so Shido felt as though he had an obligation to fulfill.

"Alright, I've decided. I won't leave Kurumi by herself today."

Giving himself words of encouragement, Shido raised his right fist, determined to do something about the situation. He had decided that he would spend time with Kurumi for as long as she wanted to after this bath.

However…

After trying to motivate himself, the lights in the bathroom suddenly turned off.

There was very weak moonlight beaming through the window, making it possible yet difficult to see.

"Eh?"

Shido exclaimed in surprise and turned his head to look at the light switch that was located by the door. He saw a hand that was holding it in the off position.

Seeing as how there were only two people in this house, Shido didn't have to try very hard to figure out who was there and what her intentions were.

"K-Kurumi?"

_This is too soon! And in the bath!?_

Shido had willed himself to spend time with Kurumi after his bath, but now he suddenly felt as if all that willpower was for nothing. Despite her personality, she had never been this bold before when they were alone together in the house, especially when he was taking a bath, and so the current transpiring of events was taking Shido completely by surprise.

The bathroom door slowly began to open further.

Worried that he might see Kurumi without any clothes on, Shido turned to face and stare at the wall directly behind him while holding his legs to his chest. He heard light footsteps approaching him and then what sounded like a towel dropping to the floor, causing him to close his eyes firmly. Finally, he heard water moving in the tub and felt the presence of another person sitting behind him shortly after.

Shido forced himself to open his eyes again. His heart was beating rapidly. There was now a moment of silence that he desperately wanted to break.

"Um…Kurumi…?"

The moment Shido called out Kurumi's name, he felt something press against his back. He decided to slowly turn his head around. Kurumi was leaning her back against Shido's, sitting in the same position, holding her legs against her chest. Eventually, she also turned her head to look at him. The moment they made eye contact, their eyes widened a little, and they looked away from each other.

Shido could feel his face getting hot. He wondered if Kurumi was going through the same experience.

"…I figured a bath would also be good for me…"

Kurumi tried to make an excuse.

"While I was still taking one?"

"…did you not want to?"

"Uh, it's not that I didn't want to…but it wasn't like I wanted to either…"

"That's a little vague…"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

Kurumi giggled. Shido gave a chuckle of his own.

"I think I like this though…"

Kurumi wanted to let Shido know that she wasn't as embarrassed as she thought she was.

"Hm?"

"Being in a bath with you…"

"Weirdo."

"That's mean."

"Who else would say something like that?"

"That doesn't make me weird, does it?"

"Whatever, weirdo."

Shido and Kurumi laughed again. The mood was lightening up better than Shido had thought.

"What made you want to join me for a bath?"

"Well…we've never done it before…"

"I'm sure lots of people haven't bathed with another person."

"…"

"Well, not that I mind."

Shido heard Kurumi giggle again.

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am a girl you know."

"Thanks for reminding me."

Shido replied sarcastically.

"And I'm your girlfriend too."

"Now I'm really worried."

"Oh?"

"Some girlfriend. I must have weird taste."

Kurumi couldn't help but grin.

There was a moment of silence.

The truth was that Shido was trying his best to keep his composure. His heart was beating a little faster than usual, but he was able to prevent it from pounding like a drum.

"Ah, that's right."

Kurumi brought one of her fingers up as if she just had an epiphany.

"Hm?"

"Today is Christmas."

"That's right."

Shido nodded, confirming that what Kurumi said was correct.

"It's a little late, but is there something you'd like, Shido-san?"

"Something that I'd like? As in a present?"

"Yes."

"We're opening our presents later today."

"That's true."

Kurumi brought her finger to her chin.

"Then, is there something that you'd like from me personally?"

"Why are you asking this now?"

"Because I want to thank you."

"You already thanked me."

"I'd like to thank you again."

"Then thank me again."

"I also want to give you something though."

Shido scratched his head, seeing that Kurumi wouldn't be backing down anytime soon.

"Let me think about it."

"Yes, please do."

There was another moment of silence.

Kurumi thought that she may have asked too much from Shido, even though she was the one who wanted to give him something.

"…"

"In that case…"

Kurumi turned her head to look at Shido from the corner of her eye.

"I do have something that I want."

"And that would be?"

"A favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"…name…"

"Excuse me?"

"My name."

Kurumi didn't know how to react to Shido mentioning his name.

"You still use '-san' when you say my name."

Realization dawned on Kurumi.

"Does that bother you?"

Shido shook his head softly.

"No, it doesn't really bother me…but…"

Shido paused, embarrassed to say the rest. He eventually found the courage to continue anyway.

"Since we're a couple, I thought that you didn't have to be so formal anymore…"

Shido turned to glance at Kurumi out of the corner of his eyes. She was looking forward again, causing him to do the same.

"I'm not saying that you need to change the way you speak. That's something that I like about you…but I wanted you to know that you didn't have to be that way around me…when using my name…"

Kurumi remained silent.

Shido had no idea what else to say.

The sound of a water drop hitting the floor echoed throughout the bathroom.

A brief moment of silence.

Suddenly…

"Shido…"

Shido immediately turned his head after hearing the new form of his name. The way Kurumi said it tugged at his heart, making it feel warm. He was sure that it had melted.

Kurumi began to turn her head and made eye contact with Shido. Her cheeks were a crimson red.

"Shido…"

Shido's mouth hung slightly open at the sudden beauty that his name was given. His response made Kurumi move a little in the tub.

"It's a little embarrassing."

Shido regained his composure and smiled.

"No, that makes me really happy."

Kurumi smiled at Shido's approval.

"Shido…Shido…Shido…"

Kurumi continued to say Shido's name with a heartwarming voice.

Suddenly, Shido felt Kurumi's back coming off from his, which made him glance behind him.

"Kurumi?"

Kurumi was turning around to face Shido, which caused him to quickly turn his attention to the wall in front of him again. After hearing some movement in the tub, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and something soft press against his back. The sudden sensation made him give a surprised yelp. He could feel Kurumi's face directly next to his now.

"Shido…"

Kurumi said Shido's name with even more warmth than last time. This time she was speaking softly and directly into his ear, making him believe that she was trying to get his attention this time.

"Y-Yes?"

Kurumi's sudden behavior made Shido reply formally.

"Is it alright if I tell you what I want too?"

"Uh, yeah, go right ahead."

Shido was planning to ask Kurumi what she wanted, but she had gotten to the idea first. She never asked for very much from him, so he was also a little curious.

"Is there something you'd like, Kurumi?"

"Let's see…"

Kurumi began to cuddle her face against Shido's.

"I've always wanted to know what it was like to have a baby."

"A what!?"

The statement made Shido straighten his posture a little, moving the water in the bathtub. Kurumi laughed at his reaction, her arms still wrapped around him.

"That was a joke."

"That joke sounded a little too extreme."

"Take it how you will."

Shido gave a hopeless sigh, feeling as though the mood had just been partially ruined.

"So, is there actually something that you want for Christmas?"

"It's more of a request, really."

"A request?"

"Yes."

"And what's that?"

Upon hearing Shido's question, Kurumi moved her mouth closer to Shido's ear.

"Stay with me forever."

There was a long silence.

Kurumi's sudden request had made Shido's heart beat so rapidly that he needed a moment to calm himself.

Kurumi remained quiet, waiting for Shido's reply.

Then…

"Are you sure that you want that?"

"Yes. I'm certain."

Despite the long silence, Kurumi answered immediately. Her smile didn't waver. There was no show of doubt.

"You might fall in love with someone else someday."

"I'd still love you more."

"You'd have to handle awkward moments like these every day."

"That's why I wanted to join you in the bath now."

"We might get into fights."

"Then I'll apologize."

"They might be my fault."

"Then I'll forgive you."

"We might hate each other in the end."

"That's impossible."

"I might not be able to always make you happy."

"Being with you always makes me happy."

"…that wish is more selfish than you think…"

"I'm more selfish than you think."

Shido gave a thin smile. Seeing Kurumi act so stubborn made him overjoyed for some reason. It made him love her even more.

"Alright, alright, I give up. I'll stay with you forever."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Yes. It's a promise."

Kurumi traced her right hand along Shido's arm. Eventually she found Shido's hand, and they mingled their fingers together, one hand not letting go of the other. They remained still in the bath, sharing the warmth of their bodies.

_**To Be Continued**_


	8. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

After finishing his bath with Kurumi, Shido had changed into pajamas and was now drying his hair. The moment he hung his towel, he plopped himself onto his bed, now lying on his back.

Kurumi was using the room that Tohka had stayed in before she moved into the mansion that was now housing the other spirits, Kurumi and Kotori being the exceptions.

The events that transpired today were replaying in Shido's mind, causing him to form a wide grin.

_Today was really fun._

Suddenly Shido's phone began to vibrate. He answered the call.

"Hello?"

"You sound tired."

"Kotori?"

Shido was surprised that Kotori was calling him at this time of the day a second time.

"Are you still at your friend's house?"

"You actually believed that?"

"Not really. I came back home to check up on you."

"I see. Well, I lied."

"…"

"Don't worry, I'm alright."

"Are you coming home?"

"Yeah, I'll be back later today."

Shido heaved a sigh of relief.

"You had me worried."

"You should be worried about the person you're with instead."

"Why's that?"

"Today just might be your lucky day."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just make sure you aren't too rough with her."

"Wait, what?"

"_Kotori, Yoshino says that she's done."_

Shido heard what he thought was Tohka's voice on the other end of the call.

"Is that Tohka?"

"Yeah, we're sort of having a party right now."

"Since when were you planning on having a party?"

"Since you two decided to go on a date. We can't let you two have all the fun."

"We could have joined you."

"Sorry, single people only."

"That's harsh."

"Don't complain, you have someone."

"Right…"

Shido could only agree with what Kotori was saying.

"Anyway, I've got to get going, so see you later."

"Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, you too. Bye."

Shido moved his phone away from his ear and looked outside his window.

It had stopped snowing and the dark sky was now clear of any clouds.

The moon was shining brightly above Tenguu City.

Shido turned off the lights so that he could enjoy more of the moonlight that was passing through the window.

Eventually he decided that it was time for bed. He pulled his covers over him after lying himself on his side.

The moment Shido closed his eyes, he paid attention to the silence that enveloped the whole neighborhood.

There was virtually no noise inside or outside of the house.

Everything was quiet, which was why Shido lifted his eyelids and resharpened his focus when he suddenly heard light footsteps approaching his door.

Eventually the footsteps stopped directly behind the door, and a light knock followed afterwards.

"Shido, are you awake?"

Pulling himself upright, he called out to the person behind the door.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's wrong?"

After Shido confirmed that he was still awake, his door had begun to open. What he saw was something that he had witnessed before, and yet, his heartbeat quickened once again.

Kurumi was in a dark nightgown, holding a pillow in her arms as if she were a child who wanted to sleep with their parents. Her pale skin that was visible nearly glowed in the moonlight.

Shido continued to stare at Kurumi in awe, but the moment was shortly lived, as she began to advance towards Shido's bed.

"W-Wait a second, you didn't answer my question. What's wrong?"

Kurumi continued to ignore Shido and was now at the side of his bed. She lifted the corner of his covers and crawled over to where Shido was lying underneath.

Shido's immediate reaction was backing over to the wall that was on the other side of his bed.

"You promised."

"I promised?"

"You promised to stay with me forever."

"Ah."

Shido remembered the promise that he made with Kurumi not too long ago.

"Wait, that applies to being in bed together too?"

Kurumi nodded as she set her pillow next to Shido's. She rested her head, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Um…Kurumi…"

"Yes?"

"I don't really mind if you sleep next to me…"

"Really?"

Kurumi suddenly started to become eager. She leaned closer, causing Shido to press his back against the wall.

"Y-Yeah. But that's all we're going to do, right?"

Understanding began to show in Kurumi's eyes. Her face was now a light pink, but a mischievous smile formed on it shortly after.

"I wonder."

"Uh…"

Shido was now panicking.

Kurumi moved even closer.

Shido had no way of escaping.

"My, it'll be difficult to do anything naughty if you lean against the wall like that."

"It's because we might do something naughty that I'm backing away like this."

Kurumi gave a chuckle as she moved her face inches closer to Shido's.

"We did just join each other in the bath."

"No, _you _joined _me_ in the bath."

"So we've already done naughty things together."

Shido moaned in defeat, admitting that what Kurumi said was true. Kurumi began to trace her finger along his stomach up to his chest, causing him to freeze. Suddenly, she buried her face against his chest. Meanwhile his left arm was also grabbed and placed around Kurumi's waist by her right hand.

"Shido…"

"W-What is it?"

Shido asked his question nervously as the situation intensified.

"Merry Christmas…"

"Eh?"

Shido tried to look at Kurumi's face which was still buried into his chest. The image he was looking at surprised him.

Kurumi's eyes were closed, and her head was leaning more heavily onto his pillow than into his chest. He also noticed that she was breathing slowly and softly. A smile that looked as if it would never fade had formed across her face.

Shido was amazed at how quickly Kurumi had fallen asleep. He assumed it was because they had stayed up late and spent most of their time with the others. He smiled at being able to see her sleeping face.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas."

Shido brought the arm that he was holding Kurumi with up to the back of her head and began to stroke her hair. He immediately yawned, realizing that sleep was now overtaking him.

Shido leaned his head onto the same pillow that Kurumi was lying her head on and closed his eyes, his arm still wrapped around her side. Soon, his consciousness faded. How fast his heart was beating didn't matter anymore. The fact that he would be seen with a girl in his bed if anyone looked into his room didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that she was here, with him, and together the two of them would be together like this forever.

* * *

"Great work today, everyone."

Kotori was walking home with Tohka and the others. It was now almost half past three in the morning. Yoshino had fallen asleep from working all day and was being carried on Tohka's back.

"Yoshino and Yoshinon worked really hard today."

Miku couldn't help but stare at the girl who was sleeping.

"Yeah, don't thank us or anything."

Kaguya was complaining over Yoshino getting all of the credit.

"Now, now, Kotori was thanking everyone."

Tohka tried to cheer Kaguya up.

Kotori smiled at the scene occurring behind her. They had finished cleaning up after the "party" and were all heading home.

"Is that the mistletoe?"

Natsumi pointed at a small ornament that was attached to a string and hanging from an arch that was getting closer to them.

"Yeah."

"Revelation. In other words, Shido and Kurumi…"

Despite reaching a surprising conclusion, Yuzuru didn't change her facial expression nor her tone.

Kotori nodded.

"Under that…"

Miku was imagining Shido and Kurumi kissing underneath the arch. She immediately turned to Tohka.

"Hey, Tohka-san."

"I refuse."

Tohka replied almost instantaneously.

"Ehh, but you didn't even know what I was going to ask."

"You were going to ask if we could kiss underneath the mistletoe."

"Ah, Tohka-san, are you psychic?"

"No, you're just easy to read."

For some reason, being told that she was easy to read by someone as oblivious as Tohka made Miku a little depressed.

Regardless, everyone laughed together. Miku eventually joined in with the laughter.

"Still, I didn't think it would actually work."

Kaguya began to voice her worries.

"Using Yoshino and Yoshinon to make it snow, I mean."

"Well, fortunately we had some help with the wind."

Kaguya snickered at Kotori's praise. Yuzuru gave a very thin smile.

"And in the end everyone got to spend time with the man of their dreams."

"I-I don't dream of Shido!"

Kaguya tried to deny Kotori's bold claim.

"I never mentioned Shido."

"Ugh…"

Kaguya groaned, realizing her mistake.

More laughter.

"In the end everyone's happy."

Kotori couldn't help but grin.

"But Kotori, you didn't get to spend Christmas Eve with Shido at all, did you?"

It seemed Tohka had grown sharper than she used to be, however Kotori wasn't bothered by that.

"Well, I live with him, so I get to spend time with him whenever I want."

"I guess that's true…but…"

Tohka couldn't feel satisfied of the fact that Kotori was the only person who was left out in spending time with Shido.

"Besides, he spent time with me all morning."

"Eh!?"

Everyone except Yoshino and Kotori exclaimed in surprise. They had already past the arch.

"Why's everyone acting so surprised?"

Kotori had another grin on her face.

"You didn't think you'd have him all to yourselves, did you?"

Everyone stood in disbelief for a moment, but they quickly changed their gaping mouths into amused smiles.

"Come on, it's getting late. We should head home."

Miku yawned as she followed Kotori along with Tohka and the others, knowing that everyone would be having the same dream tonight the moment they fell into their beds.

_**End**_


	9. Afterword

_**Afterword**_

Backstory backstory backstory backstory backstory...

Changed my writing style a little bit.

This also took a pretty long time to finish, and it's a really long read, so I apologize in advance if I made any spelling/grammatical errors...cause I'm sure I made more in this one...

Also spent all day proofreading and editing this and didn't finish until a little after four in the morning.

Tired. Going to bed.

Shido and Kurumi for life!

...I'm just going to curl up into a ball underneath my blankets and go to bed...

Merry Christmas everyone~


End file.
